Feeder for threshing-machines.



No. 808,173. PATBNTED DEC. 26, 1905. G. S. SHERWOOD.

FEEDER FOR THRESHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.19, 1905.

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Altar/121M No. 808,173. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905.

0. s. SHERWOOD.

FEEDER FOR THRESHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19,1905.

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No. 808,173. PATENTED DEG.26,1905. G. S. SHERWOOD.

FEEDER FOR THRESHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR,19,1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 INVZZNTOR Jug/T D //M CHARLES SEYMORE SHERWVOOD, OFWIGHITA, KANSAS.

FEEDER FOR THRESHlNG-MACHINES.'

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed April19, 1905. Serial No. 256,338.

"/1 all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES SEYMORE SHERWOOD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at \Vichita, in the county of Sedgwick and Stateof,Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feeders forThreshing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a feeding mechanism for threshing-machines, comprisingparticularly a novel arrangement of whipper-knives working incombination with a retarder and a carrier, as well as the usualband-cutter; also, a governing device which controls the carrier andregulates the volume of grain that passes to the threshing-cylinder, thegoverning device being operated by the pressure of straw thereon andalso by the speed of the cylinder.

The straw-governor works in between the knives or whippers just aboveand near to the threshing-cylinder, and said knives or whippers work inconnection. with a retarder which holds the under side of the bundle ofgrain while the knives comb off the top of the material and at the sametime out and tear apart any bunches or bundles that may pass through thefirst band-knives without being cut or separated. I

The governing device consists of a series of bars or fingers fastened toa rock-shaft which extends across the casing, and these bars or fingersdepend between the whipper-knives, and whenever too great a volume ofgrain is delivered thereto the pressure causes the fingers to swingback, which through suitable connections operate a clutch which stopsthe feed, and thereby prevents the choking of the threshingcylinder, andwhen the excessive volume is worked off the said fingers swing forwardlyand release the stop on the feeding devices. The governing devices areadjustable, so that the clutch will act at the proper time or condition.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved constructionfor raising and lowering the band-cutter shaft and its cover to suit thevarious conditions of grain.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinalsection of the machine.

' Fig. 2 is a detail in cross-section, showing the Referringspecifically to the drawings, 6

indicates the threshing-cylinder, and 7 the shaft thereof.

8 is a shake-pan located before the cylinder and under the rear end ofthe endless-belt carrier 9. The shake-pan is operated by a connection 10with the eccentric-rod 11, the eccentric 12 beinglocatedupon thestub-shaft 13 of the reducing-gear 14. The carrierbelt 9 passes at therear end around sprockets 15 on a shaft 16 and is driven from the shaft13 by means of sprockets 17 and chain 18.

The retarder is indicated at 19, located between the end of the carrierand the threshing-cylinder. The retarder is driven from thecarrier-shaft 16 by means of sprocketand-belt connections 20 with theretardershaft 21.

The first bandcutter is indicated at 22, comprising knives carried upona shaft 23, which is driven by a belt 24 from the cylindershaft. Thebandcutter shaft 23 is carried by iron arms 24, which are pivoted at 25in supports secured to the frame of the machine, and the cover 26 andthe side casing connected thereto are also carried by said arms 24. Thispermits the band-cutter and its hood or casing to be lifted up and back,as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, thus allowing an adjustment tosuit the various conditions of grain.

The whipper-knives are indicated at 27, located directly above andrather close to the cvlinder and retarder and mounted upon a shaft 28,driven by a belt 29 from the cylinder. These whipper-knives act to cutany uncut bands of bundles and to comb out the grain and feed it evenlyto the threshing-cylinder.

Mounted upon the end of the whippershaft 28 is a pinion 29, meshing withthe reducing-gear 14, which drives the carrier and the retarder. Saidpinion 29 also meshes with a pinion on the governor-shaft 30 of knownconstruction. This governor is connected to and vibrates a lever 31,which is fulcrumed at 32 and has at the end a dog'33, arranged to engageaclutch 34, which acts to couple the carrier-shaft 16 and the sprocket17, which latter otherwise runs loose on the shaft. When thethreshingcylinder is running with speed, the governor lifts the end ofthe lever and disengages the dog 33, which releases the clutch 34 andallows the same to operate to clutch the shaft 16 and cause the carrierand retarder to run. When the cylinder runs slow from any cause, the endof the lever to which the governor is connected drops, lifting the dogto catch the clutch and stop the carrier and retarder. This provides aspeed-governor for the carrier and retarder operating the same accordingto the rapidity of the rotation of the threshing-cylinder.

The straw or volume governor comprises a set of fingers 35, dependingfrom a rock-shaft 36 between the whipper knives 27. The shaft 36 of thestraw-governor has an arm 37, which is connected by slot and pin at 38to a lever 39, which has a rod 40, extending to the lever 31. A spring39 tends to turn the shaft 36 to lift the fingers 35 and rod 40. Aspring 41 in compression between the lever and a nut 42 on the rod 40serves to allow the speed-governor to work independent of thestraw-governor and also provides means of adjustment to regulate theaction of the lever 31 and the clutch which it controls.

The grain fed into the machine by the carrier tends to swing back thefingers 35, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, and when inconsequence of the large volume or mass of grain there is danger ofchoking the threshing-cylinder the pressure downward on the rod 40forces the dog 33 in engagement with the clutch 34, therebydisengagii'ig said clutch from the shaft, and consequently stopping thecarrier and retarder. When the bunch or mass is worked elf, the fingers35 swing out and the rod 40 lifts, and the speedgovernor at oncedisengages the hook 333 from the clutch and the carrier and retarder runagain, There is thus a speed and a straw governor working in combinationwith each other to control the feed carrier and retarder, andconsequently the feed to the threshingcylinder.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a feeder for threshing-machines, the combination with thethreshing-cylinder, of a rotary whipper having blades located directlyabove the cylinder and in close proxeosms imity thereto, a carrierleading to the whipper and cylinder, a retarder between the end of thecarrier and the cylinder, and a volumeof-grain governor comprisingswinging fingers operatively connected to and controlling the drivingmechanism of the carrier, said fingers being located between the bladesof the whipper and beyond the end of the carrier and also beyond theretarder, so that it is controlled by the volume of grain beingmmediately acted upon by the cylinder.

2. In a feeder for threshing-machines, the combination with a rotaryfeeding-whipper having blades, of a carrier-shaft having drivingconnections therewith including a clutch, a lever having on one arm dogarranged to engage the clutch, a speed-governor geared to the whipperand. connected to the other arm of the lever, and a volu m e-of-graingov ernor having swinging fingers depending between the blades of thewhipper, and also having a connection to the said other arm of thelever.

flu a feeder for threslling-machines, the combination with acarrier-shaft and a rotary retarder geared thereto and driven thereby,of a driving-wheel on the said shaft, a clutch normally connecting thewheel and shaft, a rotary whipper having driving connections with. saidwheel, a lever having a dog arranged to engage the clutch and disconnectthe wheel and shaft, a speed-governor geared to the whipper, a volumegovernor associated with the whipper and arranged to be acted on by thesame grain at the same time, and independent connections between thesaid governors, respectively, and the lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES SEYMORE SHERWOOD.

\Vitnesses:

GEO. D. SrnELns, JOHN SHEPHERD.

